This invention relates to a textile fabric and a method and apparatus for the manufacture of the fabric.
It is well known that it is possible to manufacture fabrics such as cloth, non-woven fabrics, knit goods, felt and others made up of continuous yarns or non-continuous yarns, or of a mixture of the two, and in which the cohesion of the fabric is improved by a fusion of certain of their yarns at their crossing points. (French Pat. Nos. 987,652, 1,453,289 and 1,579,042).
It is also known that this fusion can be effected by subjecting these fibers or yarns to a high frequency field where certain of these yarns or fibers made of a thermoplastic material are fused together by means of that high frequency electric field. (British Pat. No. 591633, German Fed. Republic Pat. No. 1,818,582, U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,282).
Fabrics are also known where some fibers or yarns are fused at their crossing points with the aid of a thermoplastic film, and where the junction at these crossing points is achieved by means of a high frequency current. (French Pat. No. 1,522,152).
Known fabrics which have portions of their yarns fused by means of a high frequency electric current exhibit, however certain disadvantages, particularly the following:
The fusion process is always accompanied by a certain hardening of the yarns at the fused points and, therefore a fabric of a somewhat reduced, flexibility is obtained which shows a relatively high rigidity at the junction of the yarns.
Furthermore, during the fusion process, and in order to obtain an optimum effect, it is necessary to reduce the distance between the electrodes to a minimum, which results in a significant compression of the fabric.
After the completed fusion process one therefore obtains a cloth which is somewhat flattened at the crossing points of the yarns and this is disadvantageous since the touch and appearance of the fabric is thereby detrimentally affected.
The invention herein described seeks to obviate these disadvantages.